Tips for making good green choices

When trying to make environmentally sound choices when renovating or building, beware of greenwashing - exaggerations of a product's eco-friendliness.

Photograph by: Thinkstock
, Postmedia News

Trying to make environmentally sound choices when renovating or building new can leave your head spinning. These tips will get you started.

- When considering upgrades in energy efficiency, like new windows or more insulation, get an energy audit first. A professional can pinpoint where you'll get the best return on your money. The Ontario Home Energy Audit Program will pay for half the audit, up to $150: www.energy.gov.on.ca/en/home-energy-audit/.

- Beware of greenwashing - exaggerations of a product's eco-friendliness. If a building material says it contains recycled components, check the percentage in the product literature or at the manufacturer's website. Product certification by the North American-wide EcoLogo program (ecologo.org) is one way of ensuring a product meets solid environmental standards. EcoLogo's site lists many certified products.

- Watch for exaggerated energy-efficiency claims for factory-built fireplaces, warns Chris Higgins of the Canada Green Building Council. The council certifies LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) homes. "If it doesn't have an EnerGuide rating, walk away or inquire further before you buy."

- Find out where that product brist-ling with green features was manufactured. If it has been shipped from halfway around the world, the greenhouse gases associated with transport may outweigh its green virtues. Buying wood? Look for certifications, like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC); they ensure the wood comes from sustainably managed forests (but watch out for the FSC Mix label: it means that a portion of the wood may come from forests that are less stringently controlled than those that earn the 100-percent FSC label).

As long as they're still structurally sound, you can also reuse lumber and other construction materials. Habitat for Humanity's ReStores (habitat.ca) are an excellent source of inexpensive used and surplus building materials.

The Energy Star sticker ensures the basic energy efficiency of products from windows to air conditioners. Go a step further by demanding, for example, not just an Energy Star furnace but the most efficient one.

Consumer Reports ' Guide to Greener Kitchens covers appliances, cabinetry and more. You'll have to join the organization ($26 a year) for detailed information, but anyone can access the general guidelines on green kitchens at consumerreports.org.

- Also online: The Regina and Region Home Builders' Association's Homeowner's Guide to Green Renovation. It includes a helpful room-by-room checklist: reginahomebuilders.com.

- When hiring a designer or contractor, ask if they're a member of the Canada Green Building Council or similar organization. Can the contractor give you a detailed answer when you ask about green choices? Ask if the designer/builder uses software, like Athena's EcoCalculator, which determines the environmental footprint of new construction or major renovations and retrofits.

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